WATCH ABOVE: Ontario PC Party Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of questions after the sudden resignation of a Brampton East candidate. Shallima Maharaj reports.

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CAMBRIDGE, Ont. â" <a href="http://Doug Fordâ rel=ânoopenerâ target=â_blankâ>Doug Ford said Thursday his party is looking into allegations that a Progressive Conservative candidate who has now resigned was involved in an alleged theft of customer data at a toll highway operator â" a matter being investigated by police.

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Tory candidate Simmer Sandhu, who was running in the riding of Brampton East, abruptly resigned Wednesday night, citing unspecified allegations about his work life and nomination campaign that he denies.

His resignation came shortly after the 407 Express Toll Route issued a statement saying it had notified police, the federal privacy c ommissioner and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation about what it called an âinternal theft of customer data.â The company confirmed Sandhu was a former employee.

âIâve always made immediate decisions, I immediately made the decision. We accepted (Sandhuâs) resignation,â he said in Cambridge, Ont., while rolling out a promise to cut small business taxes by 8.7 per cent.

Ford was also asked if allegedly stolen 407 ETR customer data may have been used by some candidates to win nomination races.

âOur party is looking into this,â Ford said, adding that questions on other candidates would have to be directed to them.

His spokeswoman later added that the party had asked the 407 for information and âthey would not confirm nor deny a data breach had occurred.â

The New Democrats in particular called on the provinceâs Chief Electoral Officer to investigate the alleged theft and determine if any of the data was used by Tory candidates.

âThis data, alleged to have been taken from 407 ETR, may have been used by candidates to further their electoral success,â said NDP provincial secretary Karla Webber-Gallagher. âThis is a violation of the laws of Ontario that govern how personal, private information is collected and used.â

The 407 ETR said the personal information of roughly 60,000 people was stolen from its offices âsome time over the past 12 months.â A member of the public reported the alleged theft to the company last Thursday, said spokesman Kevin Sack.

Sack confirmed that Sandhu worked in one of the companyâs accounting departments but left the firm in February. He could not say if Sandhuâs departure was linked to the alleged theft.

âWeâre solely focused on our customers,â Sack said. âAnd getting them what they need to feel comfortable and confident with our security and their information. So, no, I donât have any information about allegations concerning (Sandhu).â

âWhat has Mr. Ford done as leader of the Conservative Party to follow up when it comes to the data and the breach of data?â she said. âHas he gotten a hold of the information and privacy commissioner Ã¢â¬Â¦ has he contacted the police? â¦ Lots of questions need to be answered by Mr. Ford on this issue.â

âI think itâs clear that the people of Ontari o need to know what the vetting process is for candidates and how such a thing could happen,â she said.

Ford also came under fire for attending a party fundraiser in violation of campaign rules. The Tory leader said he was âvery clearly misinformed,â had dismissed the person organizing the event and said his party was conducting an internal investigation. He also said anyone who made donations related to the event would get their money back.

âI take Elections Ontario very seriously, the rules,â he said. âWeâll put new protocol, better protocol in place to make sure this doesnât happen againâ¦. I take this seriously.â

The Liberals said late Thursday afternoon that they had asked Elections Ontario to investigate Fordâs appearance at the fundraiser.